''October 1970'' is an eight-part

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

series that played on Canadian television in October and November 2006. It is a dramatization of the actual events surrounding the

October Crisis The October Crisis (french: Crise d'Octobre) refers to a chain of events that started in October 1970 when members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped the provincial Labour Minister Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James C ...

in the Canadian province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, when members of the militant separatist group

Front de libération du Québec The (FLQ) was a Marxist–Leninist and Quebec separatist guerrilla group. Founded in the early 1960s with the aim of establishing an independent and socialist Quebec through violent means, the FLQ was considered a terrorist group by the Canadia ...

abducted British Trade Commissioner

James Cross James Richard Cross (29 September 1921 – 6 January 2021) was an Irish-born British diplomat who served in India, Malaysia and Canada. While posted in Canada, Cross was kidnapped by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) durin ...

and then

Pierre Laporte Pierre Laporte (25 February 1921 – 17 October 1970) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician. He was deputy premier of the province of Quebec when he was kidnapped and murdered by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ ...

, the Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour of Quebec, the latter of whom they murdered.

Cast

Patrick Labbé Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name *Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

as Julien Giguère *

Karine Vanasse Karine Vanasse (born 24 November 1983) is a French-Canadian actress, who had roles in the films '' Polytechnique'', '' Séraphin: Heart of Stone (Séraphin: un homme et son péché)'', ''Switch'' and '' Set Me Free (Emporte-moi)''. International ...

as Christine (fictional character designed by combining Carole Devault with Louise Verreault) * Denis Bernard as

* Hugh Thompson as McLeery *

Mathieu Grondin Mathieu is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * André Mathieu (1929–1968), Canadian pianist and composer * Anselme Mathieu (1828–1895), French Provençal poet * Claude-Louis Mathieu (1783–1875 ...

Jacques Lanctôt Jacques Lanctôt is a Canadian writer, publisher, terrorist, and restaurateur. He was a member of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) and was convicted on terrorism charges for his role in the kidnapping of British diplomat James Cross in ...

* Fanny La Croix as

Louise Lanctôt Louise Lanctôt (born March 24, 1947) is a Canadian convicted kidnapper and writer. Born Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Lanctôt is a political activist for the cause of Quebec independence from Canada. Louise Lanctôt was an active member of the Rass ...

* Mark Day as Mark Lepage * Gary Levert as Michel St-Louis (reporter) * Eric Paulhus as

Bernard Lortie Bernard Lortie (born c. 1951) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a member of the Chenier Cell of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) who were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the province of Quebec. During what b ...

* Hugo Saint-Cyr as Paul Rose *

R.H. Thomson Robert Holmes Thomson (born 1947), known as R. H. Thomson, is a Canadian television, film, and stage actor. With a career spanning five decades he remains a regular presence on Canadian movie screens and television. He has received numerous ...

Paul Doucet Paul Doucet (born 1970) is a Canadian actor known for his portrayal of Jean Duceppe in ''Jean Duceppe''. Early life Doucet was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970. He studied drama at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Career His most ...

as Jean-Marc *

Derek Moran D-Side were an Irish boy band established in 2001 by twins Rory and Eoghan MacSweeney, and signed to Edel Records. Edel brought in Kim Glover to manage the band after her success with New Kids on the Block, Ant & Dec (as PJ & Duncan), B*Witche ...

as Branko * as Sgt

Albert Lisacek Albert Lisacek (July 13, 1933 – November 20, 2012), also known as "Kojak", was a Montreal policeman involved in a number of high-profile cases. He was considered by some to be Canada's toughest cop. The son of Czechoslovakian immigrants Mary ...

Reception

''October 1970'' was severely criticised by articles of and letters to ''

Le Devoir ''Le Devoir'' (, "Duty") is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. ''Le Devoir'' is one of few independent large-c ...

'' :
How to become a hero
"If he is still alive, iguèremust be dying of laughter »
To be seen sep 12 on TV, the series in French
"...clearly distorted for dramatisation purposes »
Radio-Canada (the French-language counterpart of CBC) was doubtful of the series' quality

Letters about the series October 1970
by Jacques Lanctôt himself
CBC's series about FLQ : War, yes my colonel
"...giving back life, against all historical obviousness, to the ludicrous idea of a plot aiming to institute a temporary government in ''October 1970''."

References

External links

* 2006 television films 2006 films Canadian drama television films 2000s Canadian television miniseries Television shows filmed in Quebec October Crisis CBC Television original films Canadian political drama television series Films directed by Don McBrearty 2000s Canadian films {{Canada-tv-film-stub